Significance
by LysCat
Summary: After her husband dies, Tris Eaton is forced to move on. However, new feelings are formed when a new friendship with an old acquaintance is formed. This is/will be Eris, but there are mentions of Fourtris.


Title: Significance  
Author: Alysia  
Category: Alternate universe in the way that there's no war or hunt for divergents.  
Couple: Eris  
Summary: Life didn't turn out the way she'd expected it to when her husband is ripped from her life. She's forced to move on, but she soon discovers that it's not a completely horrible thing. A new friendship is made and new feelings develop.  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything familiar to the Divergent series.  
Author's Note: This is probably pretty fluffy and OOC of Eric and Tris, but the idea would not leave me alone. I had to get it out. Also, any scenes written in italics are meant to be flashbacks.

* * *

" _The one thing I asked, is for you not to be late. Not only are you late, but you forgot your key," Tris Eaton said, opening her apartment door. However, the person on the other side of it was not her husband. "Oh, Eric, I'm sorry. I was-"_

" _Expecting Four," he finished for her, quietly. "Yeah, I got that."_

 _When she noticed stilted tone of his voice, she frowned at him. "Are you…is everything okay?" She asked, fumbling through her words. Despite the fact that she'd been a part of Dauntless for three years, her relationship with Eric Coulter had never progressed past distant politeness. She doubted that he'd welcome her concern._

" _Tris," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Something's happened…"_

Those two words.

She'd never hated two words so much in her life.

They'd changed the course of her life. In the span of thirty seconds, she'd gone from being a wife to being a widow. She'd never intended being a wife at eighteen, but Four, Tobias, had stolen her heart. And she'd certainly never anticipated being a widow by _nineteen._

" _What happened?" Her heart began pounding, she heard the sound of waves crashed over her._

"… _Patroling…factionless…attacked." Eric stopped speaking when it appeared that Tris was no longer hearing a word he was saying. Or maybe she had, but his words certainly weren't computing with her. He watched her fall to the ground below her, and he kneeled down next to her._

" _No…" He couldn't be… Not Tobias. He'd only been a part of her life for three years, but he'd been the best part of it. She never would have survived initiation if he hadn't forced her hand. If she hadn't trusted him, she would have been factionless…or worse, at the bottom of the chasm. "No, not Four."_

 _He lifted a hand to place it around her shoulder, but thought better of it. However, he was unable to complete the action. Instead, he set it against her hand. "I'm so sorry, Tris," he apologized quietly, meaning it._

" _I don't understand this. How? He wasn't even supposed to be there." Four never dealt with the factionless. His main job was intelligence, he worked in the control room. What was he doing in the factionless sector?_

" _We…" Eric cleared his throat. "I don't know." Four had been disappearing for hours on end, and Eric had no idea where he was going. In the beginning, he assumed that Four had met someone and was stepping out on his wife, but the confrontation he'd had with him caused him to rethink that. Instead, he was left with questions._

After learning the truth, she'd been a complete and total mess. One day blurred into another and then another. And before she knew it, two months had passed. Two months in which she hardly left their apartment, two months in which she hadn't touched a single item that belonged to her husband. His toothbrush had still been hanging precariously over the sink-like it had been since he'd last touched it.

Her friends had tried to be there for her. They constantly checked up on her, brought her food. However, she barely welcomed them. She hardly left the comfort of her bed, only leaving to take care of her bodily needs. She only showered when her stench became too much for even her. She didn't touch the food unless her body lurched so much that she was unable to deny it.

Tris hadn't even noticed when her friends stopped coming by. At first, it had been every day. And then every other day. And then it was once a week, but she was uncaring to it. She preferred it that way, to wallow in her self-pity alone. Uriah and Zeke had been the first to stop visiting her. Then, Lauren and Tori stopped. Finally, Christina and Will made their visits once a week. Yet, despite the fact that they'd all stopped coming by, Eric made sure to stop by once a day. It didn't matter what time it was, it was as if he'd always make time for her.

And it was during one of those times that he'd found her passed out in the living room. Eric hadn't hesitated taking her into his arms and carrying her to the infirmary.

 _Staring at the woman before him, he noticed her eyelids flutter into wakefulness. "Hey, sleepyhead," he greeted softly when her she opened her brown eyes._

 _Tris groaned in complaint as the brightness assaulted her senses. She immediately closed them. "What happened? Where am I?"_

" _I found you unconscious in your living room and brought you here." He sighed wearily, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I get that you're in mourning, but this has to stop."_

 _She shook her head. "You should have turned back around and left me there to die."_

 _A frown pulled at his lips and he glared at her. "That's hardly embracing the Dauntless manifesto," he scoffed. "Look, your husband died, I get it, it sucks."_

" _Sucks?" She parroted. It more than sucked._

" _Yes," he snapped. "You loved him, he loved you, yada, yada, yada. You aren't the first woman to lose her husband, and you won't be the last."_

" _You have no idea what it's like to have to deal with-"_

" _No, I don't," he interrupted her. "You wanted space, everyone gave you space, but enough is enough."_

" _Who the hell do you think you are?! You have no right to tell me what to do!"_

 _The expression on his face turned into one of disbelief. Who did he- He was a damned leader! Of course he had the right to tell her what to do! Had she forgotten that during her pity party? "It isn't just about you anymore."_

 _Then who was it about? "What is that supposed to mean?" She had no one else to deal with._

" _It means that if you don't start taking care of yourself, you're going to lose your baby!"_

 _His words were enough to cause stillness. Her heart thudded in her chest. Baby? Immediately her hands moved to her still flat stomach. She was pregnant? "Baby?" How? How had that happened? She and Tobias weren't even trying. They'd been careful, or at least, she thought they had. "I'm pregnant?"_

" _Almost three months along."_

 _She quickly did the math in her head. If she was three months along, then that meant that she had been three weeks along when Tobias had died._

" _If you don't want to go on living for yourself, then do it for the baby," Eric ordered. "Four will live on inside of him…or her, but you need to take care of yourself."_

 _She nodded to his words. She was pregnant? She was going to have her husband's child? She was going to have her dead husband's child. How? She couldn't possibly raise a child, she obviously couldn't even take care of herself._

"Mmmaaammm."

The garbled word pulled her from her thoughts. Tris looked at her son and smiled brightly. His arms were out before him, flexing his fists in a grabbing motion. Paying no mind to the mess on his clothes, she lifted him from his high chair and cuddled him against her chest.

Eric had been right when he'd told her that her that Four would live on in her child. He was his father, he was a spitting image of him, or what she imagined Tobias had looked like as a baby. And when he'd arrived, she could only name him after the father he would never know.

"Toby, I think that you left more food spread over your tray than in your belly," she told him in a playful tone.

Toby. It really had been Eric's nickname.

" _So, that's him, huh?" Eric asked, nearly sniffing at the child._

" _You look like you do when you've stepped on something," Tris remarked from the hospital bed. He was peering over the infant, as if inspecting him. "Could you not stare at my son like that?"_

" _Son," Eric repeated in a quiet voice, tilting his head at the small creature. "What'd you name him?"_

" _Tobias Andrew Eaton," she replied, settling in against the pillow of the infirmary bed._

" _Toby," Eric deduced._

 _She immediately shook her head in a negative motion. "No. Tobias."_

 _He cast her a casual look before turning back to the infant. "Tobias is far too serious a name," he denied. The infant opened his eyes and looked at him. "You can be Tobias," Eric said, more to the infant. "But I'm going to call you Toby."_

She'd been insistent on calling him 'Tobias,' the first night that she'd gone to feed him when he woke up, she'd subconsciously called him 'Toby.' And the name stuck. Her friends picked up on the nickname, and by the time he was a month old, she'd given up on the debate.

She had an amazing support group. Her friends had forgiven her for her less than responsive period, though it didn't stop her from apologizing multiple times. She'd also found a new friend in Eric. After her stint in the hospital, Eric continued to stop by her apartment. He never stayed long, never more than five minutes, but he'd seen her every day through her pregnancy.

And once she'd given birth, his visits became longer. He was entranced by the infant, claiming awe over the fact that he couldn't remember being so close to one before. And their friendship continued to grow and mature. In front of the rest of the Dauntless faction, he was still Eric, the youngest Dauntless leader. However, she'd come to separate him from the man that she'd gotten to know. In the privacy of her apartment, he'd showed her the man that not many people knew existed. She treasured their time together.

Time had passed, slowly but surely, the months had come and gone. She was forced to return to work, and Toby had been having a difficult time adjusting to the fact that he couldn't have his mother all to himself.

It had been a particular grueling day. Not to say the events that had occurred were bad, but she'd barely gotten any sleep the night before. And once she'd picked him up from the daycare center and taken him home, he was in a fit and wouldn't stop.

" _Someone's having a bad night," Eric voiced, stepping into the apartment. He'd been able to hear Toby's wail from down the hall. He instantly reached for the infant, cradling him against his body. The cries died out, but Toby continued to huff, as if still attempting to catch his breath._

 _She glared at the leader and his apparent easy ability to sooth her son. She'd tried multiple times since picking him up, and failed each attempt. "Are you talking about me or him?" Tris snapped. A lock of hair had fallen in her face and she blew it away. "I don't know what the problem is," she confessed, her voice taking on a hysterical edge. "Maya thinks that he's having a hard time adjusting to being separated from me."_

" _He could be," Eric shrugged. He didn't know anything about babies, but the reasoning made sense to him. "Would you like to have dinner?"_

 _She hesitated. "I..uh, sure." She could probably use the time away from the apartment, her and Toby. "Could you watch him while I change?"_

 _She thought he just wanted to- "No."_

" _No?" She repeated._

 _Realizing how he must have sounded to her, he shook his head. "No, I mean, yes, I'll watch him for you. I meant…would you like to have dinner with me on Friday, just the two us." Not that he minded being around Toby. He'd grown attached to the baby. "Like a date," he added quickly._

" _Oh."_

 _Oh? He'd asked her out and she said 'oh?' "Don't sound too excited, Tris."_

 _She smiled at him. "No…" She watched his face fall. "I mean…I didn't mean it…I just never thought…" She shook her head. "It's just…I am a mess. It feels like since he's been born all I've been is one big mess."_

" _That's why I'm giving you two days' notice," he replied softly. He watched her hesitate, staring at him, as if seeing him for the first time._

" _Are you sure you want to date me?" She was a widowed single mother. That was a lot of baggage to carry around…_

" _Would I have asked if I wasn't?" He replied archly. The sound of Toby coughing pulled his attention and a moment later, the infant projectile vomited on him. His eyes widened, but it was too late to do anything. He looked at Tris who wore a 'deer in headlights' expression on her face. He turned to look at the baby, the vomit and then back to her. "Now it's settled. You have to with me as an apology."_

 _She forced her attention back on him. She'd expected him to gently set her son down before exiting her apartment without a second thought. Instead, he was calmly peering at her. "Sort of like a pity date?" She asked._

" _Yes," he replied flatly. "Tris, I have no shame right now. I'm standing here with your son's vomit all over my shirt. It's the least you could do."_

 _Stepping up to the pair, she plucked her son from his arms. "Fine," she agreed. "One date," she tacked on quickly. "But if things don't work out and turn awkward, I'm kicking your ass." He really had been a most steady presence in her life since Four's demise. She couldn't stand the thought of him not being there for her. And she knew that a failed chance at romance could seriously jeopardize that._

And so their relationship had taken a slight change. Oddly enough, it remained mostly as it was before he'd taken the leap and asked her out. The only difference was that they kissed every once in a while. Eric moved slowly with her, which she was sure was something he'd only ever done with her. She'd heard stories of his sexual prowess, but he didn't show that to her.

" _I had a lot of fun tonight," Tris said, beaming at him._

 _It had been two weeks since their first date. Two weeks in which they'd seen one another every day…in which they'd never once shared a more than slight peck on the cheek or lips. As much as she was enjoying their new…relationship, she was obsessing about it. She didn't understand why he hadn't made a move to kiss her…really kiss her._

" _I'm glad," he replied softly. He raised a hand to her face, cupping her cheek in it. "You deserve to have a nice time."_

 _Tris bit her bottom lip. "I suppose I should get in there. Christina mentioned that she had to work early tomorrow," she sighed. Had she fidgeted enough? Wasn't that a sign for him to kiss her? She'd done everything that Christina had told her to do._

 _Eric nodded. "Okay," he said easily. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?"_

 _Her smile dimmed. "Yeah, sure," she agreed in a soft voice. She placed her hand on the doorknob and turned around slowly, as if waiting for him to stop her. When no protest came, she spun back around to face him. "Hey, Eric?"_

 _He'd been getting ready to walk away when her voice stopped him. "Yes?"_

" _You haven't kissed me," she observed._

" _I've kissed you ten times," he denied then._

" _No," she shook her head. "You've given me ten platonic kisses," Tris corrected. "If I had to classify them, I'd say that they are similar in manner to the ones that my brother has given me." She watched him scowl in response._

 _She'd compared him to her brother?!_

" _But you haven't really kissed me. And I'm just wondering why." Was it that she couldn't measure up against some of his partners? She knew that she wasn't as beautiful as some, and she had so much going on with her life. Maybe he had changed his mind and he didn't know how to tell her? No, that couldn't be it. Because no matter what, he still looked at her with all passion. "I…if-"_

 _He hadn't given her any warning. Stepping up to her, he captured her mouth. And because she'd been speaking when he had, he'd taken full advantage of her open mouth, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. One hand moved to cradle the back of her head, as if holding it in place as his free arm wound around her waist; securing her against him. He kissed her long and hard, pouring every desire and emotion into it._

 _She responded easily to his action. Wrapping her arms around him, she kissed him back with as much intensity._

" _Happy now?" Eric asked, tearing his mouth from hers. He watched her nod in appreciation. "If you compare me to your brother now, we're going to have a big issue," he warned her in a half joking and half-serious manner._

It had been elven months since she'd last been touched in such a way. She had nearly melted into his embrace. It had been the first of many delightful kisses between them. But again, things stopped moving forward. Eric seemed to sense both her eagerness and hesitancy to move forward.

" _You doing okay?" Eric asked, approaching Tris from behind._

 _The question caused her pause momentarily. "Sure. Why wouldn't I be?"_

" _You don't have to pretend, Tris," he sighed. "Not today," he added, wrapping his arms around her waist. "I know that today must be difficult." He hadn't anticipated stopping by, he wasn't even sure if he should. He wanted to her to have a chance to mourn for her husband, worried that she wouldn't if he was around her. But he couldn't just not speak to her…not that day._

" _If you know, then why are you asking?" She bit out._

 _Instead of responding verbally, he placed a quick kiss on her neck before disentangling himself from her._

 _Tris spun around to stop him from moving away completely. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I shouldn't have snapped at you."_

 _He offered her a small smile, as if showing her that he had forgiven her snappiness. "Would you like for me to take Toby so you can have some time to yourself?" He offered. He'd never truly been alone with her son, Tris was always somewhere in the vicinity of them. But he could handle it for a few hours, couldn't he?_

" _No," she denied quietly. "I appreciate the offer, but the less time that I have to wallow in my pity, the better." She cast a glance over at her son. "I actually thought that I'd take Toby and get out of here for a while." She wasn't sure where they'd go, but somewhere away from Dauntless. "Did you want to join us?" She extended the offer after a hesitant pause._

 _Really? She wanted to be with him? A year to the day since Four had been so cruelly ripped from her life and she wanted to spend it with him? Eric felt a sense of honor that she would ask to spend time with him on such an emotional day. He stared at her with an intensity that he didn't know he had. "Sure."_

And so they'd left. He packed a light lunch for them, and they settled on the first patch of grass that wasn't anywhere near dauntless.

" _He really is something, isn't he?" Eric asked, looking at the infant that had fallen asleep on the blanket between his extended legs._

 _Tris followed his gaze and smiled softly. "He's the light of my life."_

 _Eric nodded. "It's just such a shame that he looks so much like his father," he drolled out, not meaning his words._

 _She narrowed her gaze on him. Ripping a piece of bread off of her sandwich, she tossed it in his direction. It was meant to hit him, but he'd been expecting something of retaliation. "Be nice," she chided._

 _He easily caught the food in his mouth, smiling in appreciation. "You know I'm only joking." His gaze once again fell on the slumbering infant. "You ever think about having another one?" He asked after a lull in the conversation._

" _As a single mother, you mean?" She asked, arching a single eyebrow._

" _Smart ass," he muttered. "If the situation was ideal, would you be interested?"_

" _As you had probably guessed, this one hadn't exactly been planned." Would she have another child? She wasn't sure if the idea appealed her. Yes, she was older, but being a single parent wasn't easy. It had left a mark on her. "I don't know," she admitted after a moment. "I haven't really thought it, given the situation I find myself in." She'd stopped thinking on her home life as normal a long time ago. "What about you?" She asked, perking up. "Any children for you?"_

" _No, there better not be any Eric juniors running around."_

 _She rolled her eyes. "Funny, but I was referring to the possibility in the future. Whether you realize it or not, you're very good with him. You always have been."_

 _He silently mused over the fact that he'd become so attached to Four's son. If things had been different, Toby would have grown up, probably disliking him because his father had. "I wasn't very close to my father." It wasn't a fact that he shared with people. "I suppose that I know what it's like to grow up without that relationship."_

 _Tris didn't say anything. Reaching a hand out, she placed it over his._

" _I know I'm not Toby's father." And he would never attempt to take Four's place. He'd never be able to. "But I want him to have someone to turn to; someone that isn't his mother."_

 _She rolled her eyes playfully. "Because I'm so horrible…"_

" _You know I didn't mean it like that," he denied though he knew he didn't have to. "But sometimes there are things that a boy needs. Things that he can't turn to his mother with or about." Even if his relationship with Tris ended, he'd make sure to remain a part of Toby's life._

"I see someone enjoyed their snack," Eric voiced, taking notice of the messy tray.

"I guess so," Tris said sighing. It wasn't exactly what she'd wanted to deal with, but she supposed it could have been worse.

"Want some help?"

* * *

Eric washed the dishes and attempted to clean the mess that Toby had made while Tris bathed him. Once he was clean and in a fresh set of clothes, she laid him down for the night.

"You've been very quiet this evening," Eric remarked. The couple was sprawled on the couch. He was completely at ease, spread across the entire length of it as she cuddled against his side.

"Just had some stuff on my mind," she tried to excuse. Four had never been an issue between them before. However, Tris was becoming increasingly aware of the fact that he'd been on her mind far more than he should have been while she was encased in another's man's arms.

He hesitated to respond. Something in her voice told him that it was more than that, but he didn't want to push her. "You know you can tell me, right?" He tried not to push her, but he felt a sliver of panic swell within him.

His relationship with Tris was so completely different from anything he'd ever experienced. Before he'd defected, he'd had a girlfriend in Erudite, but it was nothing more than puppy love. And since his transfer, he hadn't been involved in anything that could be construed as a 'relationship.' He'd had casual encounters, there'd been one night stands, but he hadn't wanted anything more with any of them.

He wasn't even sure when his feelings for her had changed, but they had in a significant way. He'd made sure to visit her every day through her pregnancy, but it had never been anything more than friendly. He'd witnessed her stomach swell with the life within her, and he'd realized that he'd had yet another reason to be envious of Four.

It wasn't until after she'd given birth to Toby that he was able to put a label to his feelings. Watching her with her son, he'd come to realize that he'd honestly fallen for her. Of course he hadn't said a word to her about it, and he'd obsessed over the decision to say something or not. The night that he'd asked her, Eric had talked himself into making his desire known. When he'd asked her out, he had sort of blurted it out, there'd been no eloquence to his words.

"It…it's silly," she tried to wave away. "I just…I've been feeling…guilty," Tris confessed, staring at a spot on his shirt.

"About moving on…" he added. He'd expected it sooner rather than later, he'd been expecting it much sooner.

She inhaled a deep breath. "Well…yes, but mainly for moving on with you," she tacked on in a small voice. "Tobias really disliked you." She wasn't sure what led them to being at odds all of the time, but there was no love lost between them. "He's probably rolling over in his grave watching this scene."

He wanted to chuckle over her words, but he knew that it wouldn't be appreciated in that moment. "I think that's slightly dramatic," he denied.

She'd hemmed and hawed over her developing feelings for Eric. On one hand, she worried that it was too soon to develop any feelings for anyone. But on the other, she didn't care. And she worried about what that meant. She had loved Tobias, but things hadn't perfect between them. Did her feelings for Eric negate them in some way? She didn't think so. But what would everyone else think?

"Honestly, I don't think he'd be surprised by this in the least," Eric added when she made no move to speak about the obvious torrential emotions she was feeling.

She frowned then, turning her head to meet his eyes. "What makes you say that?" He gray eyes held an intensity in them that almost caused her to shiver.

"Believe me."

" _I don't know what it is that you're up to, but I'm going to find out," Eric said, making sure to show his companion that he'd discovered his less than honorable actions._

" _I'm not up to anything," Four denied, sighing wearily._

" _Really, because it looks like you've been disappearing from the Dauntless sector," leader observed pointedly. "What?" His mouth lifted up into a smirk. "You realized that you married far too early on and you've met someone else? Maybe you sneak out to have a clandestine meeting with your lover?"_

" _I'm not cheating on my wife!"_

" _No?" It was obvious by the tone of his voice that he didn't believe him. "Then what are you doing when you sneak off? You think Tris hasn't noticed her husband's disappearance? You aren't as stealthy as you think. Tris knows that you're up to something."_

" _Stop talking about Tris as if you know anything about her," Four hissed. "You know nothing about her or my marriage."_

 _Eric pursed his lips. "I know that she deserves better than you."_

 _Four's eyes widened in disbelief. "What do you care? Unless you…" He shook his head. "You couldn't possibly have feelings for her."_

 _The leader paused, unsure of how to proceed. He wouldn't say he had feelings for the young Mrs. Eaton, but he had taken notice of her. He supposed that he always had. "What I feel or don't feel has no place in this conversation," he replied sternly. "All I know is that I have a Dauntless member sneaking off every other day to meet with someone about something. I'm going to find out what it is, Four."_

" _Good luck with that," the other man replied before walking away from the encounter._

"You had feelings for me?" Tris asked after he finished his story.

Eric shrugged. "I…wouldn't say feelings," he denied unsurely. "But you've always been noticed." He watched her eyes widen in disbelief and then panic.

Eric, of all people, had noticed her? She remembered various moment through initiation when she'd catch him staring at her. But she'd never given the occurrences much thought afterwards. After she became a full-fledged member, Eric had never gone to great lengths to talk to her. Her relationship with Four continued to grow and mature, and she hadn't taken notice of any man.

"It isn't as though I locked myself in my apartment crying whenever I saw the two of you together," Eric tacked on quickly, not wanting her to feel any guilt over anything that taken place in the past.

"But…knowing how you feel about me now…" She breathed. "Eric, I…" She couldn't apologize to him, she wouldn't. Because she had truly loved her husband. "I don't know what say."

"Nothing," he replied casually. "You had your own life, a husband that you loved and a life you were content with. I may not have experienced anything as significant as that, but I wasn't pining for you. I didn't even realize that I felt anything until after Toby was born."

"Still," she insisted. "I feel as if I should say something."

His lips quirked up into a smile. "If anyone should say anything, it's me. I should be thanking you for allowing me to be a part of your life, of Toby's life."

Leaning up, she shimmied up the length of his body and captured his lips in a breathtaking kiss. "I didn't know you could be so eloquent," she teased. She'd been unsure of how to approach his words. In the end, she'd decided that playfulness would be easier to work with.

"I'm Erudite born," he denied. "Of course I know eloquence." He just wasn't afforded the opportunity very often.

Pushing herself off of him, she held her hand out.

He pushed himself into a sitting position. "What?" He asked, but he reached for her hand anyway.

She didn't say anything. Instead, she walked him towards the direction of the bedroom. Once they passed the threshold of the door, she turned around to face him. "I'm ready for more."

He shook his head. "Tris, I didn't tell you that so I could get into your pants," Eric clarified. If it was anyone else, he wouldn't have hesitated. His feelings for her were so far from casual, he didn't want to treat her as such.

"I know, and that makes me only want you…this…more," she said, leaning up and kissing him. "I just want to warn you, my stomach isn't as pretty as it used to be." It was marred by a ton of stretch marks and she was worried that she wouldn't measure up against some of the women he'd been with in the past.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" Eric asked softly.

"Yes."

"Okay," he nodded. Lifting her up against him, he stepped over to the bed.

* * *

"I don't get it," Christina said, looking at her friend.

"What?" Tris asked, though her gaze traveled across the room where Eric and Toby were sitting.

Christina followed her gaze. "Him…you. I don't understand how he can be a completely different person around you."

Tris could only shrug. "It doesn't matter if you understand it or not," denied softly.

"But he's Eric. He's…the same guy who tossed me over the chasm." It didn't matter how many years had passed, she'd never forget his actions. And because of his actions, she'd never warmed up to him.

"Chris, I wish I could tell you that he isn't the same person as he was then, but I can't." Eric would probably always been an asshole when it came to new initiates.

"Then how…" She shook her head, still not able to grasp the fact that they were a couple.

"He's different with me, and he's great with Toby." Her heart warmed, just watching her son interact with him. "I love him, Christina," she sighed. She watched her friend's eyes bug out of her head and she giggled. "I didn't plan on it, but I do…so very much."

"Have you told him?"

"Not in so many words," Tris shrugged. "But it's been implied."

She knew that others didn't understand their relationship. Sometimes, she was still taken aback by it and the intensity of her feelings for him. Their relationship had never been normal, and it wasn't until she'd given birth to another man's child that he'd even realized his feelings for her…but it worked for them.

Christina still didn't completely understand it, but like Tris had said, it wasn't her place to. All that mattered was that Tris was happy and he was good with Toby.

"So I'll be expecting a wedding invitation, when?" Christina asked. Tris' cheeks flamed in embarrassment. "Did you really just blush?"

"I said I love him, not that we were going to get married any time soon," Tris denied softly, bumping Christina's shoulder with her own. She didn't know what the future held for them, but she was happy where she was. And Eric appeared to feel the same way. She wasn't in a hurry to change things.

The End

* * *

AN: I apologize if it was OOC for both Eric and Tris, but this idea would not leave me alone. Really, I have been writing/typing like crazy to get this out.


End file.
